Asat-sanga tyaga is the Main Quality of a Vaishnava
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Bangalore · 2024
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Introduction to avoiding bad association
Sri Chaita no, Bishtaam, Stopi Tamle, Swah, da Dati Sapadantikam, E Krishna Karunasindho, Dinabandu Jagatpate, Gopeshagopikanta, Radakantamos tute Daptakanchangi, Rade Vravaneshwari, Rishavanu Sudevi Pranamari, Pancha Kalpatarubia, Kripa Shindu Gam, Patiampana yu, Vishna y Namamaha, Shri Krishna Chaitana, Prabunitananda, Sriadvaitadara, Srivasadi Gora Pakta Brindam Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Ramaare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ramahare Rama Rama Ramahare Djanma syyaton vayata tarataschartyaswarad Beni Brahmahriday kaye, Muchyantiat Suraha, Te Jowari Dam Yat Havini Mayatrisargom Rish, Damna svena, sadhani rastakuhakam satyam paramdimahi satyam paramdimahi satjam paramdi. Yandah Pradesh Mammavachimuampra Suptam Sanjivaya Takila Shakti Darah Swadamna, Anjamarana Shravana Twagad, Pranandamo Bhagavat Rushatub, Svastu Viswasia Kalah Prasidatam, Dyantu Bhutani, Shivam Mithodya, Manaschavadram Bajatata Doksaj, Haveshatum No Matir papyaituki I'm very, very happy to be with all of you this evening. Of course, today was a very difficult and eventful day spent in the traffic of Bangalore. But still whatever little Krishna consciousness is still left after this journey I'll try to j share it with you. Madhumati Pushkarini asked me to speak on the topic of uh Asat Sangatyaga, which according to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is the main quality of a Vaishnava. What distinguishes Vaishnava from an ordinary person is that we are very careful and choosy as far as our association is concerned. Knowing very well how association can become very very helpful and how the same association can become the great impediment on our path of devotional service. You know I see Dhruva wearing mask. Uh he doesn't want to be infected by coronavirus or any other viruses.
But much more so is also true about the mental infection. Because when we closely associate with other people, then their desires which are much more dangerous and easily penetrating into our system infect our mind.
We are living life after life in this material world. And every time we are being born and we always think that you know this time everything will be fine. This time my life will be very happy.
But then you know when we're young we think like this, when we're old we think differently. Uh but the point is that uh uh our hope for happiness never dies. Even if somebody is very old, he still hopes to become happy.
And Kṛṣṇa very generously gives another chance. Do it. Try it again. Here you are, you're free.
If you are if you're still in this this illusion that you will become happy then you will make it that everything will be perfect uh you know you will live in a perfect place where there is no traffic jam, and there is a lot of job opportunities and they're well paid, and there is no nasty neighbors. And your children are obedient and parents are loving.
You know everyone lives in this dream and this illusion. Of course, sometimes parts of this dream may come true. Sometimes we may have good neighbors, that's okay. But the point is that we will never be satisfied.
But the hope is still there. The hope is living, hope against hope that somehow or other my life will be perfect. And the problem was this material existence is that even if our life is perfect, we still will not be happy.
All these people who, you know, achieve the upper ladders of the society, they're not happy at all. They're very dissatisfied.
You know, those people who still have something to achieve, they have hope that when they achieve what they want to achieve, they become happy.
Those people who already achieved everything, they lose hope. They lose hope that they will become happy because of something, but they don't lose hope that they will become happy somehow or other.
Recognizing uncertainty in material life
So this hope keeps us here, and this hope is actually the cause the this hope is the attachment to this material world, which is temporary.
When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says Asatsangatyaga, he means that we should give up the hope to become happy in the atmosphere of uncertainty.
You know, in the material world because of its nature, because of its deeply rooted nature. Everything is uncertain, everything can happen any moment. The death can come any moment of time.
Everything can be finished within you know within in no time. So this principle of uncertainty, you know, when the scientists they study physics, quantum mechanics, they came to discover this principle of uncertainty.
Nothing is certain on the very elementary fundamental level of nature. But because everything is uncertain on this level, on every other higher levels, it's even more uncertain. There is nothing certain.
There is only one certain thing is that we will die. As sure as death, as they say. There's nothing else which is certain.
So and this principle of uncertainty, we have to understand very clearly that life is very uncertain and that will loosen our attachment to temporary things.
Asatsangatyaga is the attachment to, to anything temporary is this compulsory desire to enjoy temporary things, to enjoy some sort of dream which we have in our head. Every one of us has some grand dream in our head.
And we want to enjoy this dream, and that's the main problem which is there.
And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu speaks this verse in a very important section of Sri Caitanya Caritamrita where from one point, from one side, speaks about the importance of Sadhu Sangha, Satsangha. Satam Prasanga Mamavirya Sam Vido, Djosana Mashwaparga Martmanishra Dharati Bhakti Anukra Mishati. Satam Prasanga Mamma Virusam Vido Bhavanti Khrit Karna Rasa Nekatha Tadjoshinamashwa Pavardam Vartmanni.
So he quotes this verse, he quotes the other verse from the 10th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, uh bhava-pavargo bhavato yadābhavej, uh, uh, and all these verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the same thing.
This is the pillar of actually vedic culture.
The pillar the foundation of vedic culture is the emphasis on the need of satsangha. You know, you may do whatever else you like, but you have to do satsangha. And if you do satsangha, uh then gra graduduallyally,, all the nonsense which you are accustomed to do will vanish. Will not force you to do some some stupid things. All your habits will be gradually improved and everything else will be done.
And if you don't do satsanga, even if you're very pious, very clean and very pure at heart, uh, inevitably, you will be contaminated. Because that's how it works. This is the nature of this material world.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu from one side says it's very important to have satsanga. Because even slight moment of saintly association can give you faith. You know that's the that's the beauty of satsanga.
Satsanga gives you enthusiasm satsanga because faith and enthusiasm is the same thing, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. What is faith? daryat tatat karma pravertan What is faith?
What is the definition of faith? How the faith manifests, you become enthusiastic.
Everyone knows we all went through this period of conversion when we all of a sudden became devotees by some unimaginable streak of good fortune.
And in the beginning, everyone is very enthusiastic because everyone has very strong faith. And then later on he becomes, he or she becomes a senior devotee and senior devotee means yes, yes, I know everything.
Oftentimes senior devotee means cynical devotee. So but those who have faith, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, what is the measurement?
How you can measure the faith? What is the criteria, external criteria by which you can measure the faith? The criteria is very simple: enthusiasm.
If you are enthusiastic, it means enthusiasm means utsāha. Utsāha means you're ready to tolerate anything else. Utsāha means that you have the stamina to go through difficulties.
And you're not losing your enthusiasm, you're not losing your mood. That's what utsāha means, you know. We have energy to do something and we're doing something.
We're chanting the holy names, we are following the regulative principles.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, if you have satsangha, you will have faith. And even if you have difficulties, initial difficulties, you will overcome these difficulties, no problem.
You know, who didn't have difficulties? Everyone has difficulties. Everyone has some impediments inside.
But by the force of satsangha, by the energy of satsangha, you will be able to overcome all the difficulties which are there.
Purifying the mind from material attachments
And on the other side, at the same time, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu speaks, he says that Asat Sangha is something which is totally completely detrimental.
You know, if you want to know one rule and one prohibition, uh, this is these two rules. One rule is to associate with devotees. Associate with those people who are trying to meditate on sat.
Like this first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Satyam Param Dhi Mahi, Satyam Param Dhi Mahi. Let us, Śrīla Vyāsadeva says, let us meditate on the Supreme Absolute Truth. And the opposite is also true.
If we don't meditate on the Supreme Absolute Truth, if our mind is polluted.
It's very interesting because Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains why people, you know, from one's point of view it seems like uh it's so easy to meditate on Krishna. God is there, we know God is there, you know. Why not think about Him?
Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, duṣṭa mana. If the mind is polluted, then you cannot think about Krishna.
It's very difficult to think about Krishna because the mind is polluted, the polluted mind wants to think, has the tendency to think about polluted things. Because like attracts the like.
If your mind is polluted, it will be attracted to polluted things. And if your mind is clean, it will be attracted to Krishna, who is all attractive. You know.
Krishna is all attractive, but there is one person who is definitely not attracted to him. That's somehow rather. me. So why were not attracted to Krishna? That's the reason. That's the only reason.
Duṣṭa mana. Polluted, contaminated mind. And what is the mechanism of pollution of the mind?
Asatsaṅga. When we are associating with something, uh, which is asat. When we are associating with somebody or something which is attached to temporary things of this world, when we are uh
Because this association actually nourishes our material attachments. You know why? Material attachments are there. Please raise your hand who has material attachments. You know. Okay. No problem. So everyone has.
The only question is whether we nourish these attachments or we're trying to starve them. If we nourish them, then they will grow, grow, grow, grow as much as the fire grows when we pour ghee in the fire.
And ultimately these material attachments will kill us. That's true. The material attachments they are very cruel. They kill us.
Because you know I hope it doesn't refer to anyone I've seen many people, very nice people, who started doing some, you know, some addict addictive things, started drinking alcohol or started taking some drugs or whatever.
Today on the way here, Ravi Kirti told me that there are more and more people who are from this background who who take alcohol and destroy their health. You know, they start doing this and they cannot stop.
Because that's the way attachment works. Every time you feed the attachment, the attachment becomes stronger. And you will have to repeat it again and again and again until you are killed by this attachment.
You're feeding it and the attachment is killing you. This is how cruel it is. So when we are associating with asat, those people who cultivate attachment, who see nothing wrong in attachments.
There is nothing wrong in having attachments, but something is very much wrong, is thinking that having attachments, there is nothing wrong in having attachments. You know, uh attachments we have.
Uh but uh and uh there is nothing wrong in having attachments if we understand that attachment is not a good thing. But if we understand on the contrary that attachment is something good, then this is wrong.
If we really think that cultivating attachments, reinforcing attachments, strengthening our attachments, we will become happy, that's bad.
You know, I remember that this is very this one of most dangerous uh episodes in my life. I was preaching to a group of completely new people who were somewhat esoterically inclined in Israel.
There was a you know some retreat arrangement. And I was explaining to them the basic philosophy, how it works, how the attachment and desires in the heart, you know, are ultimately not good.
And at one point of my lecture, the lady who was sitting just in front of me, she exploded. She started spitting and you know saying some bad things.
She was basically, she was so offended, she said, what's wrong with desires? What's wrong with desires? She was so hurt by the statement.
So most of the people they don't see anything wrong with them. They think this is the way to become happy. Whereas it's the contrary thing.
If you understand that, you know, yes, I have attachment and sooner or later I will get rid of it. That's fine. Attachment will die themselves. You don't need to do anything drastic.
You know, some people they they do some very drastic things. You know the first devotees in the Soviet Union
they were very fanatical and they thought that you know the main uh that the main attachment which they have is the attachment to the hot water by which they take baths, you know, because Russia is a very cold country. You need to have hot water.
So I remember I came to you know to one devotee house and I went to the
bathroom and there was a big sign on a hot water tap, Maya. So, what I want to say is that you don't need to you know mm violently fight with your attachments.
They will die themselves in the due course of time if we have good association. If we have good association, if the satsangha is there, then the attachment will then there is no hope for them to survive.
Avoiding temporary distractions and negativity
They will not they will not uh uh undergo natural selection they will not survive. But if we are feeding attachments by always associating with this part of the reality Attachment is a part of reality.
Asat is a part of reality. Actually, it's a very peculiar because reality means sata. When we say reality, reality means something real, something real means sat. So how can Assat be the part of reality?
By definition, Assat is not a part of reality. But we are living in a very strange reality. We're living in a reality where asat is also part of reality, unfortunately.
You know, and if we are obsessed by associating with Assad, our attachment to Assad will become stronger and stronger and stronger On the way here Ravi Girdi Prabhu was enlightening me about one uh one great
saintly person who was not born but appeared manifested himself in Bangalore city but had to flee from Bangalore because of the problems with police who didn't recognize his divine origin.
It's some Jagat Guru Nityananda Baba, what was it? So he's a very beautiful example of Assad. He showed me showed me his pictures, you know, sitting in a gold throne. Looks exactly like Ravana.
If I ever imagined how Ravana would look like probably. This is how it looked like very robust and enthusiastic. But the point is that uh you know there is no need to be too much absorbed in this part of reality.
So much, so many bad things are happening. You know, if you go to internet you know I think everyone has to have uh some sort of uh slogan on the screen of his or her computer, uh Asad Sangatyaga Vaishnavachary.
Because every time we enter internet it's Asatsanga. We start dealing with something which is negative by its nature. You know, whatever is asad, it's negative. This negativity, you know, Krishna is positive.
Spiritual life is positive. Satya, the something which is eternal is positive. It's full of bliss, it's full of beauty. But asad by nature is very ugly. It's very negative. Whatever is temporary is very negative.
You know, when s somebody dies, well if it's of course if it's a devotee, it's a glorious death, but you know it's it's it's the negative part of it, ugly part of the whole thing becomes obvious.
You know, temporary is bad.
Temporary is ugly, and whenever we encounter all these ugly things, temporary things, ugly emotions, ugly you know plots uh you know and even too much you know all this wars and everything else.
It doesn't really help our Krishna consciousness because it pollutes the mind. Again, when the mind is clean, the mind naturally goes to Krishna. Because he is naturally attracted.
By its very nature, Krishna consciousness becomes very easy. Why Krishna consciousness becomes so difficult? Because the mind is polluted. And the more it's polluted, the more it's difficult.
Understanding authentic spiritual association
So if we are intelligent, we should be very careful about these two principles. Try to maximize our association with those people who strengthen our faith. You know, satsanga does not mean just you know we come to
a devotee home and eat nice you know, nice feast, nice prasadam. Satsanga is not about, it's also satsanga because you know it's remnants of Krishna's food. Uh you know, prasadam, idli is satsanga of some sort.
No doubt about it. But Satsanga in real sense is something which strengthens our conviction, our desire to come to Krishna, to become closer to Krishna. That's what satsanga is.
But never the contact with devotee, not any contact with devotee means satsanga, because there are so many contacts sometimes with contact with devotee and it we become completely frustrated.
They're devotees, they have kaṇṭhīmālā, they have you know tilaka and they even play mṛdaṅga. It doesn't help so much. You know.
The uh extra push in our conviction, in our desire to uh come closer to Krishna, to come closer to eternal life which is full of bliss and knowledge. If we become frustrated or you know very disillusioned
and bitter from associating with devotees, it's asatsaṅga. You can nominally, formally associate with devotees and it will be asatsaṅga which you have to give up.
But the association with those devotees who really enthuse you, who really give you inspiration and give you the desire, strengthen your desire to become better, to become purer at heart, to become more loving and more generous.
More grateful. When we have this association which strengthens these qualities, qualities which reflect sat. The good qualities, positive qualities within our heart, they reflect the qualities of Krishna.
They are just reflection of sat, of something real. And the bad qualities is the reflection of asat. So whatever is strengthening our good qualities is sat and it's satsaṅga.
Whatever is uh weakening them, making them more feeble, uh it's uh asatsaṅga. So this is two simple rules.
Using free will to choose association
Uh I should if I intelligent and, this is my choice, this is what is most important, you know, we are free to choose. We have free will.
Sometimes people, especially scientists, they say people don't have free will. No free will. We're just biorobots.
You know, I'm a biorobot and everything is already predestined, and you know, this biorobot anyway will die, no problem. So no, why not be robots? Beer robots to a certain extent, but we do have free will.
But this free will is very limited and ultimately the free will, the ultimate manifestation of free will, which association we choose. Everything else may not be free.
You know all thoughts which are there is a result of some previous association. But if we call that what is the what is the main application of free will?
Is determination with whom I will associate and with whom I will not associate no matter what.
Oh, if I have to associate with such a person, you know, no problem, I will become very cool inside and I will not open my heart to him. Because again, uh association is only take place when we open the heart.
When the heart is closed, you know we should not uh it it's not association, it's just formality. So that's the free will.
And if I want to exercise free will, and to be a human being means to exercise free will, uh then uh here is the field where I can here's the kshetra where I can uh exercise my free will.
I am determined to have close association only with those people who make me better, who help me to become closer to Krishna.
And I will not associate with those people who will not do this who are actually impediments or those people or things or whatever ideas which make me uh further away from Krishna.
Because the most dangerous Asatsangha is actually too intimate association with bad ideas.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that you should not associate with strī-saṅgī, those who are too much attached to, you know. debauchists who are too much attached to, you know, association with women. But that's not.
it's dangerous, but it's not as dangerous. As the association with bad ideas, polluted ideas, polluted conceptions, which look very nice, you know, from the outlook, but ultimately say there is no God.
Following the example of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Because when you say there is no God it means asad. It means you don't believe in sad. There is no sad and therefore everything which is left in our life is Assad. So we are very lucky because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came in
1486 in the year fourteen hundred eighty six. So what is uh how many years back? Who is good at mathematics? Huh? Five eighty eight. Okay, so whatever five hundred plus years. Yeah.
So uh he showed in his example how what it means and he sometimes was very very harsh.
And his harshness it is a repeated theme of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Kṛṣṇa-dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says that sometimes Caitanya Mahaprabhu was like a rose petal. He was so soft and so kind and so loving and so beautiful.
And all of a sudden he would become very harsh. He would turn 180 degrees. And Śrīla Prabhupāda explained this.
He said that this is the characteristic of a saintly person. Saintliness doesn't mean that you always have this plastic smile. This is not saintliness. This is just imitation. This is just vidambana.
This is just something not very good. It's just desire to please everyone.
Like you know there was this there is this one sadhu, again local sadhu who is who is called Guru of Joy. You know, of course we're all guru of joy we're trying to teach how to become joyful.
But you know the real sadhu he's not always smiling. Sometimes he becomes very harsh. Again, because of these two things.
Whenever he sees the manifestation of Sat, he becomes very pleased, easily pleased and very softened. And whenever he sees the manifestation of Assad, he cuts.
Because this is what is supposed to be done with the attachments? Attachments have to be cut. Otherwise, they will only become stronger and stronger and stronger.
So we're celebrating his appearance very soon in one week his appearance Gorpurnima will come and to celebrate in reality his appearance is to understand what he wants us to do.
What he really wants us to do, how he wants us to behave, how he wants us to live, then he will be very pleased, and he will give very precious gifts which He great to give.
But if we don't understand this, and therefore it is said, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that Gaurācāra, gauravicāra.
You have to understand how Caitanya Mahāprabhu was living his life, how he behaved himself, and gauravicāra, how he was thinking, how he was looking at this world.
You know, we have to externally—we have to try to behave in the same way as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Śrīla Prabhupāda, of course, explained this to us in a more vivid way by his own example. But that's not everything.
Much more important is to adopt the way of thinking which Caitanya Mahāprabhu had, gauravicāra. And then only we will be able to please Gaurāṅga.
Then only when we chant Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga, you know, Gaurāṅga will hear us shouting his name. Gaurāṅga. Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga, anyway, so this is just a few disjoint, uh, thoughts on this subject matter.
I could talk more.
Bhaktivinoda wrote a beautiful and very lengthy essay about asat-saṅga-tyāga in Bhakti-loka, where he explains many, many different types of asat and Loka, where he explains many many different types of asat and the techniques, what kind of mask you should have to be protected from this asat-saṅgha.
But in general, if we understand this principle, And if we have determination within the heart, Krishna will reciprocate with our determination.
He will help us, he will bring us into the association of devotees, and he will minimize somehow or other the association of those people who are not really helpful in our spiritual endeavors.
And so that's my little, uh, talk inspired by Ravikirti's explanation of glory of Bangalore City which which somehow or other gives such people to the world. Okay. Yes. Because it's late we will have to finish soon, but
Navigating practical association in daily life
if there is a question, I can answer. Yes. Uh the question which comes to mind if somebody lacks enthusiasm, so should he or she associate for his sick or disassociate for others? Both things should be there.
Because enthusiasm is is a result of good association, and the lack of enthusiasm is the result of bad association.
So if we from one you know side we're trying to ignite the fire, this is the example which Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you know.
By one hand you're trying to ignite the fire and with the other hand you're pouring the water onto the onto the wood. You know, it will be a very long time before you will be able to ignite the fire within the wood.
So, you know, the the heart should become sufficiently dry or free from bad association before the spark of Krishna consciousness will be able to really create the enthusiasm. What is enthusiasm? Enthusiasm is the energy.
And energy has this nature of fire. Fire is the energy. So why enthusiasm is not there? Because our heart is dampened by this border of bad associations. So both are very important. It's not one or another.
Both should be there simultaneously. Maharaj at times we need to mingle into various groups for a kid's sake, like their mommy's groups in the kids' school.
And you want to mingle into that because you want to get all the information what's happening in the school, what a kid is doing, what could go wrong. Uh is it right association or wrong association?
I mean we have to be we should not be too paranoid about this because we are living in this world we cannot really enough. You know we we tried for two years to wear masks. It didn't last long.
The moment it was not compulsory, everyone took it off, and only a few Chinese people still wear this and there are some exceptions too. But what I mean to say is that we shouldn't be too paranoid.
We have to live normal life. Sometimes we have to pick up this information, that information.
What is most important is that we should not be too much open-hearted to the association which may not be very beneficial to our so you know that the we all we all know that there are degrees of the closeness when we associate.
If we just pick up some information from some mummies who are who are very enthusiastic about raising their children, that's fine, no problem. But to be too intimate means to adopt the same value system.
When we associate with somebody, our value system, it's like how you call it in physics when there are two vessels which are connected. You know, if, uh, in one vessel, you know, that they become equal.
So when we closely associate, the same thing happens, the same process happens between our hearts.
You know, if we were higher before and somebody was lower, then he will become a little higher and we will become a little lower. So it will become more or less equal.
But if there is no connection, close connection, then it's not a problem. Then we can maintain the integrity within our heart, and you know, associate. So too much paranoia is not good because it's, it's artificial.
You know, we have to remain human, it means that, you know, we have to do what we have, we have to do. We shouldn't become, you know, too much, you know, afraid of you know oh no no no no I will be contaminated.
No, but it's it's it it feels artificial. But we should remain normal, but at the same time, very careful. So that's the point. Okay? Last question. Okay.
Imagine the setting out of the... How should we get to everyone associating with the bodies if it doesn't give you the proper enthusiasm of faith?
If you can do identify this or things... You know, it's very easy to identify when we see what happens with our heart. You know, we associate with devotees, and we become light-hearted. We become very enthused.
We become very happy. We feel energy. And then we associate with some other devotee. And we become upset and sad and morose.
And, uh, you know, and, and we always think about him or whatever. Instead of thinking about Krishna.
You know, when we, when there is a good association, again, it's natural to think about Krishna, it's natural to become happy about Krishna.
But when we meet with somebody and the result, the effect of this is that, you know, mm, we are distracted from the main, uh, occupation which is there, then, um, what's the point? Okay. Thank you very much.